Council to contribute money towards broadband project

BARNSLEY Council will contribute more than £1.3m to a new project to deliver superfast broadband to homes across South Yorkshire.

The county's four councils - Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield - will enter into a contract with BT to deliver superfast speeds to 95 per cent of the region by 2017.

Barnsley Council papers show the four councils are expected to contribute £7.425m - with Barnsley giving £1.3m, and although the finer details have yet to be finalised, it is thought the contract will be signed in the coming weeks.

A spokesman for Barnsley Council said: "This is an important multi-agency project which is seeking to extend fast internet access to many places in South Yorkshire that don’t currently have it."

** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated August 22. **

so we spending more money on broadband after the last load of cash we pumped into digital region i think they called it

Posted by JamesI Tue 26th Aug 2014 at 7:26pm

a council pleading poverty, withdrawing or cocking up front line services (bin collections for starters) is going to invest with BT. Wasn't that long ago nearly £100 MILLION was sunk into Digital Region. Who thinks up and justifies these schemes?? Just google digital region

Posted by RobI Thu 28th Aug 2014 at 9:42pm

I was an origin broadband customer that used the digital region broadband network, which got scrapped earlier this month. Down from 30mb to 4mb now here in Grimethorpe. I would welcome the news they are finally working with a proper provider such as BT to upgrade the broadband services available.

Posted by JamesI Fri 29th Aug 2014 at 8:27pm

Digital Region failed because none of you signed up for the fast broadband in the first place to make it viable. It was an admirable scheme, ahead of BT and their fibre roll-out, and one I was envious of when I lived in Wakefield.

Now I live in Silkstone Common I'm connected to one of the only exchanges this side of the M1 that doesn't have BT fibre. :( I hope the Silkstone exchange is included in the 95%.

Also, the hardworking of putting in the ducting and access has already been done for DR, as a result the expensive bit id done and BT can probably use it so the necessary investment needed now is much reduced.